So we have eliminated high paying jobs and replaced them with six times more low paying jobs and we think this is good? The Walmart article says that they are having trouble finding enough employees. Yet, the parks department reports that they will need to compromise their summer programming because they are understaffed. All this in light of the unemployment rate in NJ is 9.3%, and those are just the people receiving unemployment, not the people whose benefits have run out and still have not found work.

Is another Walmart really needed? Does the import of plastic crap from China really merit the creation of 300 jobs? Why on earth does this business seem to be thriving while children's education is being compromised and demand for the boiler systems used in American energy systems has gone down? Are we not consuming more and more energy each day? Well something here doesn't add up and as usual Walmart is in the middle, or the top of it.

Friday, August 14, 2009

Seems like a funny thing to be saying mid-August. Most people are eating the harvest, enjoying their tomatoes if the late season blight didn't obscure them from the face of the earth, and beginning to wonder when this year's first frost will be. Not I and a few others here in Hunterdon County; we have finally gotten the borough's approval to break ground on the community gardening project we started in February.

We have been given a less than ideal garden location. There is much shade, a bit wet (though everything is this year), and its tucked out of the way, not accessible by most residents without a motor vehicle. Tomorrow we begin to address our challenges.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Okay, so its no surprise that every pregnant women gets cravings. This time around it has been black cherries. By early May I began stalking the produce manager, sure that cherry season was just around the corner. I was eating dried cherries to keep my craving in check till then but what I really wanted was the juicy red sweet cherry.

Last week I visited my midwife for the first time. The first time at 19 weeks along because I fired my doctor. She put me on 2000 mg of vitamin C daily to build collagen to strengthen my amniotic sac.

I am one to pay close attention to cravings as I always say that your body knows what it needs. Well today I had some time to look into the nutritional content of my beloved cherry. I discovered that cherries are high in vitamin C and a flavonoid called anthocyanin, which gives cherries their red pigment. Anthocyanin also builds collagen.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

The book I am currently reading, Omnivore's Dilemma, briefly discusses a proponent for vegetarianism. The author quotes the work of another author, Peter Singer's Animal Liberation: "Equal consideration of interests is not the same as equal treatment. Children have an interest in being educated, pigs in rooting around in the dirt". I considered this and later yesterday afternoon I gazed upon this scene in my very own backyard and realized no matter how compelling to some, Singer has lost his argument with me.

Clearly, Singer has never met children like my children. Actually I wonder if he has ever met ANY children. Ever. And yet my husband has been asking me, why do you let them do that? Why are the girls allowed to dig holes in the yard and fill them with mud? I wanted to respond with some witty homeschool mom comment ala Charlotte Mason about how they were learning their place in the world by interacting with their environment. Instead I told him the truth. They are quiet when they do this and they leave me alone so that I can actually think for several consecutive minutes before being asked to hose them off.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

The other day I was in the local grocery store and I saw two women with a group of 4 and 5 year olds, touring the grocery store with a store employee. I quickly realized that they were there on a daycare tour and that this was meant to educate them on the things they would have learned on trips to the supermarket with Mom. The store employee asked the children, "Do you know what this is?", as she held up various fruits and vegetables. The were able to recognize the apple. Beyond that, blank stares that were clearly indicative of the prepared food frenzy these children were likely served when their parents rush home to get them from daycare, feed them and send them off to bed. That thought haunted me as I continued shopping -- the majority of children don't recognize foods in their natural form. I caught up with them in the meat aisle as I unsuccessfully looked for ground turkey that did not have added natural flavoring. The store employee held up a package of beef. Do you know what this is? Its beef. Beef comes from a cow. Blank stares. Is beef healthy for you? "Probably not with all those antibiotics and hormones in it", I thought.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

We have been dealing with a huge issue of sibling rivalry between my first and third born. Its been quite bad for a year. Ask if you might, how I know its been a year. My first born is turning ten next month. Last year her third born sibling REFUSED to wish her a happy birthday. Flat. Out. Refused. And thus started the feud that left me in tears Thursday afternoon. My first born, however, apparently left wonderful documentation for me. While cleaning her room today I found an innocent written book with, "This Book is About When Your Sister or Brother Gets on your Nerves and How to Stop it". So, I opened to find this:

Chapter One

If your a person putting up with crap from your sister or brother this is what I did.

1st Pour water on sheets2nd Pour vinegar on pillow3rd Put marbles in pillow case4th Mess up drawers6th Dirty room badly7th Make faces at them until they get upset and tell on you then tell your mom you have no idea what he or she is talking about8th If they have a curtains, tie a string or something to it so when they walk past it falls on them.9th Get a glass of water and dump it on them and say you did it on accident10th Put glue on pillow not so much but some11 Put stink bugs on ceiling12 Pour salt on bed13 Lock door first go in it unless you can open it from outside of room14 If at your siblings best friend's say something embarrassing15 trip them while walking with water16 tell the boy or girl they have a crush on that they have one17 tips don't tell mom about book18 if your sister harasses you DO WHAT THE BOOK SAYS! Thank you.19 Don't get fooled by them if they are nice the next day. Its a trick. Trust me on this I have been doing this for a year. but she has improved a little. Well a lot from when we started.20 if she's just mean start one at a time if a brat do it all every day for a month

the first 4 people to leave a comment on this post will receive, at some point during the year, a handmade gift your truly. What it will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise!The catch is that you must participate as well: before you leave your comment here, write up a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going. Then come back, let me know you’re going to play, and sit back and anticipate the arrival of your gift! Remember that only the first 4 comments will receive a gift from me, so be quick!I love that this is a crafty, hand made gift and that it encourages others to participate, so it is open to everyone, no matter the country as long as you Pay it Forward in your own way.

(C) 2008, 2009, 2010 Sandy Westermann

Sorry people but this stuff is mine. I don't mind you reading it and learning from it or even reproducing it in your own garden. BUT... you may not reproduce and sell the text and images on this blog nor may you use the designs discussed within for profit. I wouldn't steal your stuff and sell it and so I don't expect you to do that to me!